China's vast territory spans five time zones from the west to the east. For convenient communication in daily life, Beijing Standard Time (GMT+8) is used throughout the country, which is 13 hours ahead of New York and two hours behind Melbourne.
Xinjiang Province and Tibet are located in far west China, creating an obvious time difference of about two hours behind Beijing. With the adoption of Beijing Standard Time in the whole country, tourists from inland China to Tibet or Xinjiang Province may feel a little strange about their style of living. People there go to work at 10:00 and have the lunch at about 13:30. If tourists want to buy something in the marketplaces, you had better set out after 9:30, especially in winter.